The fire started just before 3 p.m. Tuesday at 260 Howard Avenue.
Once the flames spread, Badillo ran out along with other family members who rent there. But one person was left behind. Rolando Torres was asleep at the time and found himself trapped. The 48-year-old woke up because a fire alarm went off. He told the paper he was afraid to walk through the thick smoke, so he stuck his head out the window. Minutes later, firefighters arrived and rescued him.

The two alarm blaze caused “considerable damage” to the second floor, said Fire Chief Michael Grant. The fire spread to the “cockloft” between the third floor ceiling and the roof, he told the paper.